Resolving the AP Dilemma
Should you sign up for Advanced Placement courses during your junior and senior years? It’s an important choice without a simple answer.
It’s more work (you might be thinking) — but there’s college credit — but it might be really difficult — but a challenge feels good… but I still want time to hang out and have fun — but not taking AP courses might really be selling myself short –
Round and round you go.
Here are a few tips to help you make this decision.
First — Take off the rose-colored glasses and honestly assess your level of commitment. AP courses are great – and they require you to set aside a daily block of time in order to be successful. Taking an AP course and not devoting the necessary time to it will get you poor results. That can decrease your confidence and will not be an asset to your transcript.
Does that mean you should back out? Absolutely not. But remember, being smart isn’t enough.
Read MoreClosed Out of a Class? Don’t Give Up!
What if you had your heart set on taking Tagalog or 2D Computer Animation and the class is full?
That’s not unusual, but it’s not hopeless either. Here’s a quick tip from long-time professor Dr. Ralph R. Meyer, who is recognized as a University Distinguished Teaching Professor by the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Meyer advises students to continue to check online every day for openings in the classes they want. Students often change their minds either before the class begins — or after the first meeting when they decide that it’s not quite for them. So classes that are closed today might have room for you tomorrow.
By the way, keep an eye on the prerequisites.
Read MoreRegistering for classes: buffet or investment?
Poring through the course catalog is when it’s liable to hit you that college is nothing like high school. The choices range from Chinese to scuba, from Dickens to Buddhism — and it’s all there for you to grab!
Colleges differ in the number of choices open to freshman as well as in the volume of required courses. But here’s a way of sorting through the decision-making, regardless. The goal is to create a balance of three factors:
- Following sparks of interest that will lead you to things you find that you’re passionate about
- Creating a path that will ultimately lead to a career that will allow you to meet your financial goals
- Keeping tabs to make sure that you’re on track to graduate in four years